The invention described herein is a safety athletic pole designed for use in a variety of athletic activities including, among others, hiking and skiing. To maximize clarity but without imposing a limitation, discussion of the invention is hereafter directed toward its potential embodiment as a ski pole.
The traditional ski pole is composed of a handle, a long, thin, rigid shaft with a pointed tip, and a basket near the tip to restrict snow penetration. The ski pole assists skiers in maneuvering efficiently in various skiing terrains and under an assortment of snow and terrain conditions. While using ski poles, a skier, whether skiing downhill or cross country, may sustain significant injuries from the simplest of falls. To minimize this danger, novice skiers are taught to release their poles or attempt to keep their arms close to their body. Recent ski pole handle design attempts to make release easier, but experience indicates that, in actuality, little has been done to prevent a number of ski pole-related upper extremity injuries.
When falling, the natural tendency is to hold the poles tighter and brace the fall with outstretched arms. The resulting positions put the thumb at a significant biomechanical disadvantage. Abnormal forces applied to the thumb in this manner often cause injury to the ligamentous tendon complex, joint capsule, and bones. One of the most disabling injuries often acquired from such a fall is a complete tear of the ulna collateral ligament of the thumb. Statistically, this injury ranks as the second most common reported injury in skiing (knee injuries ranking first). If one includes unreported injuries, it may be the most common injury in skiing. Many skiers we have interviewed have spent six to nine months recovering from injured thumbs for which they never sought medical attention. At first glance, these injuries seem innocuous to those outside of the medical profession. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Simple tasks like holding a cup of coffee are impossible for most skiers suffering from these injuries. Tasks that require motion of a thumb injured in this manner are difficult if not impossible to perform.
The present invention helps prevent these debilitating injuries by incorporating an articulated break-over mechanism into the pole design. The break-over mechanism allows the pole handle to articulate when an abnormally high bending force is applied to the handle, as in an accident. The break-over mechanism includes mating handle and shaft bases that are radially enlarged relative to the shaft. Prior to and during initial handle articulation, this radial enlargement of the mating handle and shaft bases enhances pole stability and integrity by distancing the fulcrum point of the articulation mechanism from the pole axis. As the handle approaches full articulation, the enlarged handle and shaft bases further enhance pole stability and integrity by reducing the distance from the fulcrum point to the pole axis, thereby reducing spring actuation. Both the enlarged handle and shaft bases and the movable fulcrum point they provide render the invention both distinguishable from and superior to the prior art.
In addition, the invention improves on similar prior art ski poles by providing a system of splines and spline-receiving grooves in the enlarged handle and shaft bases that minimizes potential misindexing of the handle and pole both when the handle is unarticulated and in all stages of handle deflection.